By IANS
New Delhi : In what could cause further resentment among the Gujjars in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje Tuesday clarified that her government has not made any reservation for the community.
Raje, who was here to discuss her state’s annual plan with the Planning Commission, said: “My government has not made any reservations (for Gujjars). The state chief secretary has written a letter to the central government highlighting the recommendations of the Jasraj Chopra Committee which has suggested that a special package could be offered to the nomadic tribes living in remote areas.”
In May last year the Gujjar community mounted a violent campaign in Rajasthan reminding Raje of her promise during the last state assembly elections to grant the Gujjars the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. But the Meenas, who are classified as a Scheduled Tribe, vehemently opposed their demand.
Following the standoff, the state government appointed a three-member committee headed by Justice Jasraj Chopra to examine the Gujjar request.
This committee submitted its report to the state government in December last year, rejecting the community’s demand for ST status. But it suggested four to six percent reservation for the really backward among the nomadic tribes inhabiting remote areas as a special package outside the existing reservation pattern.
“The Rajasthan government has sent these recommendations to the central government and the chief secretary has sent an accompanying letter along with it,” said the chief minister.
She said even this suggestion is temporary.
“The committee has suggested that the central government have a re-look at the reservation pattern, and till then provide this additional reservation to the nomadic tribes,” she said.
On Monday, IANS reported from Jaipur that the Rajasthan government plans to give the Gujjars reservation under de-notified tribals category, which will entitle them to state-level job and education facilities.
According to a letter sent to the central government, the state government has decided to provide 4-6 percent reservation to Gujjars and 23 other nomadic tribes and castes in the state.
However, Gujjar leaders have dismissed the proposal, and said they will stop at nothing short of full tribal status. They do not seem to be happy with the state’s proposal.
“(Vasundhara) Raje government is trying to deviate our minds from the original issue of reservation through this proposal. We would not accept anything other than the Schedule Tribes reservation,” Gujjar leader Prahlad Gunjal said.
“We are going ahead with our plan to hold a maha padav (huge sit-in) in Jaipur from Jan 21.”
The Gujjars, at present categorised as Other Backward Classes (OBC), have been agitating for a tribal status to access better educational and employment opportunities.
Raje said in New Delhi Tuesday that she was very pleased with her meeting with members of the Planning Commission to discuss the state’s annual plan. She said her state has been allocated Rs.140 billion outlay against Rs.110 billion last year.
She also mentioned how her efforts at reviving the state’s economy and pulling it out of the BIMARU status were widely appreciated by all the Planning Commission members. BIMARU, which in Hindi means sickly, is an acronym for collective description of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.